Social Media for Music Artists – Be Present & Be Different

Let’s get straight to the point! Nowadays, if you (artists) don’t have a strong presence on digital platforms you will hardly get anywhere. Increasingly, people live on the Internet and wouldn’t be a smart move if you didn’t have an artistic profile on social networks. When I say people, I say fans! However, it’s not enough just to have an artistic profile because nowadays, almost all the artists have one. If you want to build or increase your fanbase you should think outside the box. You will hardly arouse public interest if you do the same thing that thousands of artists do. And I’m not just talking about music but also about communication, the way you interact with the audience.

Continuing the topic of my last post, I will talk about the importance of social media to increase your fanbase, approaching two main factors – Presence and Difference.

BE PRESENT

It’s important to note that there are not only 3 or 4 social networks where people can find you and listen to your music. It’s obvious that there are platforms where the number of users is astronomical as Facebook, Instagram or YouTube but there are other platforms where you can and should be present. Just so you know, I’m actively present in 10 platforms and I will list them (if you want to follow me in any of them, please be my guest):

And now you ask yourself: “But Hozho, why so many social networks? Maybe it was better just to focus on those where there are a lot of people.”

As I am a person who reads and studies a lot, I discovered that there is a phenomenon that brings some benefits to any artist – Funnel Effect.

As you know, in most social networks (or platforms, whatever you want to call it) you can insert multiple links in your personal information. This means that you can take people from one site to another. Consequently, they will be able to follow you in these social networks. It’s important for you to be present on as many social networks as possible because you never know where people will find you and so you can take these people to other platforms and increase your fanbase. The truth is that there are platforms more directed to one purpose than others. For example, I cannot upload photos on Soundcloud or upload my tracks on Instagram. If you have listeners in countries like Russia, Ukraine and other countries in these regions, it’s important to be present in VK. That is why it’s important to be present on all social networks and to insert your links from other platforms in these social networks so that people can follow all your work, whether it’s music, videos or photos.

And never leave your fans without news for a long time. This is presence too! There are a lot of good artists on digital platforms and among so many good artists, you can be forgotten by your fans, especially if you are in an early stage of your career. Be regular but it’s important that what you share has good content and is interesting for your audience. As I said in the last post, check the statistics of your social networks (at least, those that allow it) to see the best time and days to share content.

These are small things that can bring you great benefits in your artistic career. Remember, you will not succeed overnight, but it’s with baby steps that you win victories. Rome was not built in a day!

BE DIFFERENT

It’s hard to say this but people on the internet have little patience. They want content that is interesting and if you don’t give it to them, you may lose those people forever.

But this should not bother you. What matters is to believe in your work and to know that you have everything to be a great artist one day! It only depends on you and, in this case, on your creativity. But as I said, your creativity shouldn’t focus only on your music. You must think of different and bold ways to communicate and reach your audience.

Don’t just create a song and say “Hey guys! Check my new sound, I hope you enjoy it.” NO! You must create a story behind this song, this EP, that album, whatever. Something that catches people’s attention and makes them want to hear your work.

From my personal experience, I see that videos are becoming more important so bet on it. Whenever you release a new song or if you are producing a new track, try to make or record a little video. Videos are interactive, people like it. And after all, your goal is to entertain people. This is only an opinion and that is what has worked well with me. I know that much of my success is due to my DJ Mixes on YouTube, which together have more than 400,000 views.

Basically, what I want to say is that you must think of different ways of reaching people, things that have never been done before or that few people do. Be bold! Don’t be ashamed to do things, take risks! You never know what might happen to you. It’s with new things that you capture the interest of people. They may not even like your music but at least they’ve heard it. Imagine that a new fast food chain was now emerging with a spectacular ad. A lot of people would prove it. Some would like it, some would not. This is life!

Art is made of risks and courage. After all, there isn’t much to lose at an early stage. If something didn’t work today, try something different tomorrow. For example, I write this blog. I don’t know if people like what I write but at least I know that what I do is different, since I don’t know any artist in the underground electronic music industry that has a blog. And my creativity doesn’t end here. And I know you are a creative human being too. Do what you love and have fun doing what you love. Be good at it and I have no doubt that all your dreams will come true. I believe in you, and you should believe the same!

ABOUT HOZHO

Hozho is a Portuguese DJ & Producer. His unique sounds, characterized by harmonious melodies in the middle of darkness, influenced by Minimal Techno, led him to create his own musical genre – Melodark Minimal. Hozho makes melodious what appears to be tenebrous. He is the calm during the storm. The Yin and Yang.